Shakespeare in Love

The whole school, and a dog

Mr Chambers, Head of Drama Productions, looks back at the success that was Trinity’s whole school production of Shakespeare in Love.

I was looking for a large-scale play that would suit a whole school cast and crew. It needed to allow inclusion across year groups, whilst also offering a slice of history that might inspire further research. Shakespeare In Love fitted my brief. It also has an original score, which gave us the opportunity to highlight live music throughout the production under the musical direction of Mr Barlow. And there was a dog. What more could you ask?

I was excited for the students to try their hand at comedy with a play that explores the process of creativity itself and how art can sometimes mirror life.

The many Shakespearean references add another layer of interest for both students and audience.

It was a joy to see the whole school involvement, from students to staff. Students were assisting on every element of theatrical design and the actors from across the school were engaging positively with the subject matter and each other. The whoops of joy in The Mitre backstage after the final curtain were like nothing I have experienced, as students shared their sense of achievement.

We had 87 students involved in the production as cast, backstage crew and musicians. There are too many stand-out performances to mention everyone, but in particular Barney Sayburn (Shakespeare), Robert Wilding (Henslowe), Anna Brovko (Viola), Alice Febles (Nurse), Matteo di Lorenzo (Burbage), Alex

Molony (Marlowe), Ethan Thorne (Wessex), Arthur White (Webster), Ashvin Jeyanandhan (Ned Alleyn), Jacob Haunstetter (Sam), Piran Lewis (Fennyman), Oscar Barritt (Robin), Bailee Sheldon (Ralph) were all magnificent and showed great acting talent. And of course, not forgetting Noah Prestney as the dog.

To bring the show to performance took an army behind the scenes too. My hope for the set was to create the Globe Theatre on stage. What it became was a tour de force from professional set designer Amy Mitchell (with some help from Lower Sixth student Aidan Keogh) involving a long seven-foot-high walkway and a Juliet balcony!

The sound design involved twenty radio mics which can be very tricky (even for our amazing student sound operators Chris and James Legge), and the costumes would never have had that period style without the talent of Mrs Jones and Miss Bainbridge, who hand-made most of them.

Add to that the choreography from Mr Benjamin, projections by Mr Friend, stage management by Miss Harter working with Dhyan Ruparel, makeup by Mrs Catling (the hand-sewn wig enhancing a phenomenal Queen Elizabeth played by Lucy Ma) and lighting from a former Trinity head boy, Alan Bishop, working closely with a current student, Ethan Campbell – and you can imagine the scale of the production.

Student crew helped with all these departments and learnt from the more experienced adults.

One stand-out student in the process was James Bradburn whose perceptive and pro-active work as co-director solved many an issue along the way.

My thanks to everyone involved in helping bring this show to performance as well as those who supported the production and the collection for Malawi. I hope you will continue to support Trinity Drama Productions in the future.

Anna Brovko as...

Viola de Lesseps

I enjoyed playing Viola as this was a twoman show, and I got to share the whole onstage experience with the wonderful Barney in the role of Will Shakespeare. Likewise, Viola was also a two-man show in another sense: I played both Thomas Kent and Viola, as Kent was Viola’s disguise as a man.

When playing Kent, my male castmates advised me to lower my voice, which I found funny. I tried to practise my gait by imitating their walk without their knowing, even trying to think the way a man would think! The quick changes were one of the biggest challenges, with layers of Jacobean clothing and sticky moustaches to remove. Working with two fabulous women, Mrs Jones and Miss Bainbridge, we overcame this together, thanks to countless rehearsals.

My favourite memories are the moments right before and after a show, when adrenaline is high, and everyone recognises how great a production they have collaboratively created. Or moments where everything seems funny for no reason.

Shrek was quite different last year, although the parts were similar (the hopeless romantic searching for happiness with a man). I do feel both productions promoted positive societal views: that a woman does not have to fit beauty standards to find love, and that she can make her own decisions and find her own destiny. Shakespeare in Love was special to me because it was my last production at Trinity, and I will miss the atmosphere created by any production at this school.

Noah Prestney as...

The Dog

I wanted to be involved in the whole school production, and although I thought I wouldn’t get a big part – if one at all – I went to audition with some of my friends.

When I was cast as the dog, I had no idea what would be involved. I had to learn to puppeteer, which was great fun but also a great challenge. We worked with a professional who made the dog puppet and sent us a video with tips on how to control the dog. The key to making sure that it looked real was to show it ‘breathing’. This, and reacting to the situations around it, made it seem more real to the audience.

The play was a fantastic experience, I got to meet people from around the school that I wouldn't have met ordinarily. Watching the play come together was so cool and I loved every moment. My favourite scene was when I/the dog was tackling the villain off the stage. It was really funny. If given the opportunity, I would do it again...plus, no lines to learn!

Miss Bainbridge Teacher of Maths

Miss Bainbridge, Teacher of Maths, brings not only her sewing skills to the production, but also her logic and organisation. “This is the second time I have been heavily involved in costume making for a school production. We attend meetings and rehearsals to plan what is needed. Sometimes a change in staging will dictate a different costume, or extra cast members will be added. With more than 90 costumes required, you do need someone organised behind the scenes.

“For Shakespeare in Love, we made most of the costumes and borrowed some from our infamous costume cupboard, (a treasure trove of school plays past). After adding ruffles to multiple school shirts, and turning many jogging bottoms into breeches, the most challenging costume was that of Queen Elizabeth, played by Lucy Ma. I am now a dab hand at ruffles, pleats and millinery and am sharing my new skills with Trinity’s sewing club."